Automatic punch for printing presses



Oct. 12, 1937. K. E. DUDLEY AUTOMLATIC PUNCH FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed Nov. 25, 1955 a in E m y a swam Patented (jot; 12, 1937 I PATENT OFFICE 1 1 A TOMATIC PUNCH PRES non PRINTING SES Kenneth E. Dudley, Hagerstown, Md.

Application November 25, 1935, Serial No. 51,504

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in punches or cutters .and more especially to punches or cutters adapted to punch or cut sheets -ofppaper, cards and the like to enable' 5 them to be employed in loose leaf binders, files and thelike, automatically in a printing press simultaneously wlth'the printing of ruled lines or other .printed matter thereon.

"OneLof the primary objects of the invention 10 isito'provideapunch which is adapted to be set up.. in;th'e printing form with rules, type or other printing elements and embodying a member or portion which isoperative to punch or cut a hole in the, sheet, card or the like adjacent to an edgezthereof, and :a cooperative punch or cutting member which is operative to simultaneously punch or cut a slot .or slit extending from the.

hole to the like.

.Anotherobject of the invention is to provide a punch holder which is adapted to accommodate interchangeably punches or cutters for punchingholes of different sizes.

A further "object of the invention is to prothe adjacent edge of the sheet, card or modate interchangeably punches or blades for punching or cuttingslots of different widths or shapes or slots or slits of different lengths to conform withthe sizesof zthe punched holes.

To these and other "ends the] invention consists in certainimprovements and combinations and arrangements of parts all as will be hereinafter-moreiully described, the 'features of claims at the .end of this specification.

In the accompanying drawing:

.Figure 1 is a perspective view of a printing form having punches or cuttersembodying the present invention set up therein;

Figure 2 is a transverse section on an enlarged scale, taken through the form shown in Fig. .1 onthe line' 2--,-2.in saidfigure and showing a portion of the cooperative platen-of a printing press; f1; V

, Flgure.3.is-a detail sectional view, taken on the limit-13in ,2; l

V Figure-4; is an: elevationpartly in section, ,on

, a furthereenlarged scale, of, one 'ofthe complete punches; h d h ,..;-F i gure 5 lea-top plan View of the punch or cutter-shownim-Eigeg 1 I .z'Figiirefijista view. similar toiFi'g. 5,.showingthe punch-block '-.with :the :;punching cor cutting -eleliflmentsxemoved thercirom; I

vide a punch holder which is. adapted to acc0mnovelty being pointed out particularly in the shown in :FigsJjB to 11 inclusive.

Similar parts are designated-bythe same reference charactersin the different figures.

{The present invention provides relatively] simple and effective means for automatically punching or cutting holes or perforations ,in sheets, cards or the like at any desired position or positions on the sheet, in an ordinary printing press at the same time the sheets, cards or the like are printed with :ruled linesor other desired printed atter, so that such sheets, cards or the likemay be insertedas pages :inzloose leaf binders, books, files andthe' like, which is gnot. feasible with anypunchingmachine heretofore known. The present invention enables the punches or cutters to'be readily adaptedto punch or cut holes of differentsizes and of any desired 2 5 shapes, and when the holesare punched near an edge .{of thesheet, to punchgor cut slots of different sizes orshapes leading from the holes to the adjacentedge of the sheet, card or thelike or merely to out slits from the holes to the adjacent edge ,ofthe sheet, card or the like, and

the punches or cutters may be readily setup in the same printing form which contains rules, type orother printing elements for printing the sheets, cards or the like. The. preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accom- V panying drawing and will be hereinafter described in detaiL-but it is to be understood :that the invention isnot restricted to the precisevconstruction shown since equivalent constructions are contemplated and such will be included within the scope of the claims. Referring to" the drawing i represents anordinary chasesuch as commonly used in printing presses, especiallythose of the jobpress, type, to hold a printing form 2 which may bemadeup of printing'rules, type or other desired printing ele-' ments,.such rules, typeor printing elements beingpreferably of the usual standard type height.- 3 represents the :platen of an ordinary printing press of the ,jobpress: type which, aswell known, SGIVESZ'UQ'IDISSS the sheet, card or the like to be printed against :the printing rolls, type or other printing aelementscomposing .the printing form. According to the present invention, punches -5 are set up in the printing form along a margin thereof, these punches being of such height as to punch the sheets, cards or the like at the same time the printed impressions are made thereon in the press. In the present instance, two of these punches are set up in the form so that the sheets, cards or the like will be punched along their margins at points to conform with the pins, wires or the like of loose leaf binders or files.

Each punch, according to the present invention, comprises a block 6 which is preferably rectangular in horizontal cross-section to adapt it to be set up in the form with various kinds of printing rules, type and other printing elements such as commonly used in printing, and the bottom of the block is preferably flat and lies in a plane at right angles to the sides of the block to form a foot on which the block may rest when the same is set up in the form, thus gauging the height of the punch in the form. Each punch block provides a holder for a hole perforating punch l and a slot forming or slitting punch 8. The block is provided for this purpose with a bore 9 of suitable shape, preferably cylindrical, which extends from the top of the block to a point near the bottom thereof, leaving a wall l which closes the bottom of this bore, and the punch 1 which is preferably cylindrical in form, is fitted removably in the bore 9, its lower end bearing on the bottom wall In so that the latter provides a solid support for the punch. The punch may be removably secured in the block by a set screw ll threaded into a side of the block and having a tapered inner end to engage in a V-shaped groove I2 which extends circumferentially around the punch 1 at the proper height. The upper end of the punch 1 is formed with a sharp cutting edge l3 of suitable shape, it being circular in the present instance to adapt it to the punching of circular holes in the sheets, cards or the like. The punch is provided with an ejector for automatically removing the punchings from the punch after each punching operation, this ejector comprising a plunger M which is fitted to reciprocate axially through a bore l5 formed in the punch 7 below the cutting edge I 3 thereof, the low-er end of this plunger having a flange or shoulder l6 thereon which is movable axially in a bore I! formed within the punch 1 and which is larger than the bore I 5 therein so that a shoulder I 8 is provided within the body of the punch against which the flange l6 may abut and thereby limit the outward movement of the plunger. A compression spring I9 is contained in the bore l1, one end thereof resting against the bottom wall ill of the block 6 and the other end of the spring bearing against the flange it, this spring holding the flange l6 yieldingly against the shoulder I8 and the outer end of the plunger l4 slightly higher than or above the level of the cutting edge l3 as shown in Fig. 4 but permitting the plunger to be depressed during each punching operation. A number of the punches 1 having cutting edges l3 of different diameters for the punching of holes of different sizes are employed, but each of these punches has a body of the same diameter and shape so that the different punches will fit interchangeably in the bore 9 of the block 6. For example, in Fig. 2, the annular cutting edge I3 is of the full outside diameter of the body portion of the punch l and in Fig. 4, the annular cutting edge I 3 is of a relatively smaller diameter, so that these punches are adapted to punch holes of different sizes. I

The punch block 6 also has a slot formed in one side thereof, said slot extending from top to bottom, to receive a slotting punch or cutting blade block 8. The slot 20 preferably does not intersect the bore 9 in the block, so that an intervening wall 2| is left between the bore 9 and slot 20 which will efiectively prevent spreading of the sides of the block adjacent to the slot 20, the punch 8 being removably secured in the block by a set screw 22 which is threaded into one side thereof and clamps the punch 8 when tightened. The punch 8 has a shank portion which is preferably rectangular in cross section and of a size to fit closely but removably in the slot 20, and this punch has a head 23 on its upper end which is provided with a V-shaped groove to form cutting edges 24 adapted to punch slots in the sheet, card or the like. The head 23 carrying these cutting edges extends beyond or overhangs the shank of the punch so that it will extend over the upper end of the dividing wall 2| between the slot 20 and bore 9 and fit closely at its end against the side of the cutting edge l3 of the punch I, this end of the head 23 being preferably formed with a V-shaped notch or groove 25 therein to provide a close fit thereof against the side of the cutting edge IS. A number of punches or blades 8 the heads 23 of which overhang to different extents are provided to interchangeably fit in the slot 20 in the block to cooperate with hole cutting punches having cutting edges of different diameters, as will be understood for example from Figs. 2 and 4, and a number of blades 8 may be provided having cutting edges of different lengths for punching or cutting slots or slits of different lengths to extend from the holes in the sheets to the adjacent edge thereof, as may be desired.

The setting of the lower end of the body of the punch l on the bottom wall H] of the punch block definitely gauges the height of the cutting edge 3, and the setting of the extension of the head 23 on the upper end of the wall 2| gauges the height of the cutting edges 24 so that the cutting edges l3 and 24 will be accurately alined in the same plane, and the engagement of the inner vertical edge of the shank of the punch 8 against the wall 2! serves to accurately aline the cutting edges 24 with the cutting edge l3, so that the cutting edges of the punches 1 and 8 will all lie in the same plane for effective punching action.

A number of punches 8 having cutting edges thereon arranged for punching or cutting the slots of different widths or shapes are provided, these punches however having body portions or shanks of the same size and shape so that they may be interchangeably fitted into the slot 20 of the punch block. For example, Fig. 8 shows a punch 8 having convergently arranged cutting edges 24 thereon for punching a dove-tailed or tapered slot at in the sheet, card or the like as shown in Fig. 12; Fig. 9 shows a punch 8 having parallel cutting edges 24* for punching a parallel sided slot b in the sheet, card or the like as shown in Fig. 13; Fig. 10 shows a punch 8 having'more closely spaced cutting edges 24 for cutting or punching a relatively narrower parallel sided slot 0 in the sheet, card or the like as shown in Fig. 14; and Fig. 11 shows a punch 8 having asingle cutting edge 24 for cutting or punching a slit d in the sheet, card or the like as shown in Fig. 15. The slot or slit thus cut or punched will extend into or join the hole A, B, C or D punched in the sheet, card or the like by the punch 1, and as previously stated, these holes may be punched in different sizes by employing punches 1 having cutting edges l3'of different diameters,

In using punches according to the present invention, the punch blocks 6, having the desired punches .1 .and 8 mounted therein, are assembled in the printing form with the printing rules, type or otherprinting elements and locked up therewith in the chase, the lower ends of the punch blocks providing feet on which these blocks may rest when the form is made up, thus insuring the location of the punches at the proper height relatively to that of the printing elements,-and the punches will be located in the form in the these cutting edges will not damage the inking rollers, and the platen 3 of the press has an offset plate 2'! of lead or other relatively soft or yielding material mounted on the face thereof in positions opposite to the punches, to compensate for the reduced height of the :cutting edges l3 and 24 and to provide aneffective support against which these cutting'edges may act to punch or cut the sheet, card or the like. The form mounted as usual in the press and containing the punches will print lines, reading matter or the like on the sheets, cardsor the like and simultaneously with the printing operation thepunches will punch the holes and punch or cut the slots or slits leading therefrom to the adjacent edges of thesheets,

cards or the like. During each punching operation the exposed ends of theejector plungers it which project above or beyond the cutting edge l3 will be depressed or forced back against the action of the spring It by engagement with the sheet, card or the like to permit the punchingoperation to be performed, but when the plat'enrecedes,

following each punching and printing operation, the plunger will be restored to its normal projected position, thereby ejecting the punching from the sheet, card or the like, thereby preventing clogging of the punch.

The present invention provides punching and slotting or slitting means which'is capable of au-' tomatically punching holes and slots or'slitsin sheets of paper of various thicknesses, cards and the like simultaneously'with the printing therer of and as hereinbefore explained, it enables holes of various sizes and/or designs and slots or slits of various sizes andshapes to be punched. Since the punches constitute elements which may, be assembled in any desiredarrangement in the type form with the printing elements, the punches may be located to punch the holes and slots at any desired points in'the sheets or cards and to punch sheets orcards. of different sizes.

I claim as my invention:--

1 The combination of a printing press chase and a punch comprising a rectangular block set up in said chase with printing elements and having a bore therein and a slot extending parallel thereto, a wall extending parallel to and separating said bore and slot, a hole punching element fitted in said bore and a slotting blade separate from the punching element and removably fitted in said'slot, said slotting blade having a portion overlying said separating wall and abutting against the operative end of the hole punching element. 7

2. A punch of the character described comprising a block'having a bore, a punch element having a bore extending upwardly therein from its lower end and having a hole punching cutting edge at its upper end, a slitting blade removably carried by the block, said blade having a laterally extending head resting on said punch element to dispose the said. cutting edge and slitting edge of the head in the same plane, an ejector extending from the bore in the punch element axially of the cutting edge andprojecting beyond the plane thereof, and a spring contained in the bore of the punch element and resting at one end against said bottomwall and hearing at its other end against the ejector.

3. A punch for use in printing presses comprising a block adapted to be set up in a form with V printing elements and having a bore extending from the 'top thereof and terminating short of the bottom thereof and forming a bottom wall,

said block also having a slot in a side thereof adjacent to 'said bore, a wall separating said bore and slot, a hole-punching element fitted in said bore and bearing at its lower end on said bottom wall and having a cutting edge on its upper end, a slotting or slitting blade fitted in said slot in the block and having a head having a cutting edge on its upper side a portion of said head overlying the top of said separating wall and'abutting against a side of the cutting edge on the hole punching element, and means for securing said hole punching element and blade in the block with their cutting edges lying in a common plane.

4. The combination of a printing press chase "and a punch comprising a rectangular block set up in said chase with printing elements'and having a bore therein to receive interchangeably punch elements of uniform diameter but having cutting portions of different diameters for punching holes of different sizes, and having a slot therein parallel to said bore forming a wallextending'parallel to and separating said slot from said bore to interchangeably receive slotting blades of uniform thickness but having cutting portions of different dimensions to rest on said separating wall-and abut against a side of the cutting portion of a hole punching element in said bore, and means for individually and removably securing a hole punching element in said bore and a slotting blade in said slot for removal KENNETH E; DUDLEY. 

